5 ms·

You know, where I am from (northern Italy) if someone like this decided to antagonize their whole neighborhood like that, they'd end up having to move. Not beca

You know, where I am from (northern Italy) if someone like this decided to antagonize their whole neighborhood like that, they'd end up having to move. Not because of threats or property damage: people would simply shun him to starvation. It's no fun to be unable to buy groceries or gas.

w1ntermute 12y ago
> It's no fun to be unable to buy groceries or gas. He can just use Instacart, and he probably drives a Tesla.
bueno 12y ago
Social justice like this is great. But If you have a 35 million dollar estate - the likelihood that he buys groceries or gas himself is slim to none.
matthewmcg 12y ago
That's one of the dangers of high economic inequality. There is now a class of people who are essentially insulated from the social consequences of their actions.
- FireBeyond 12y ago
  Look at Geffen's "garage" - http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/25/4554132/david-geffens-beach-is-yours-crash-malibus-secret-oceanside-hotspots http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/25/4554132/david-geffens-beac... It's not a garage. He's had the curb shaped like it's a driveway, and painted like it is, but it's not. Everyone, including the city know it's not. But try and park there and you'll be fined like it is. Towed like it is.
  - charlesdm 12y ago
    Hah. While the fake garage he set up is a clear loss for the public, it is actually quite ingenious.
xtrumanx 12y ago
No fun for the hired help who need to buy the groceries or gas perhaps. I doubt a billionaire would notice or care if their neighbours don't like them.
- spiritplumber 12y ago
  That's actually something I noticed when I moved here, people are a lot less likely to know their neighbors (even if they have fewer neighbors than I'm used to). I bought a condo in San Rafael, and when I did a round to introduce myself to my neighbors, I had TWO people ask me if I was a sex offender! That made me wonder what kind of crazy place I had ended up in! Then someone explains to me that sex offenders have to do that by law, and just about nobody else does that. At least nobody yelled at me for doing deliveries by unmanned rover. Then I left for India for work for a couple of months, and when I came back, someone was living in my place... Americans are very interesting :)
adamwong246 12y ago
He's a billionaire. I don't think he'll have a hard time finding someone so sell him food.
cylinder 12y ago
I've found Americans pretty apathetic about injustice like this. They just think there's nothing they can do, nobody raises a fuss... currently dealing with this on the opposite coast...
- r00fus 12y ago
  Well when many effective firebrands like MLK, RFK, MalcomX and the like keep getting assassinated, you get a population that knows it shouldn't get uppity.
  - cylinder 12y ago
    Not even talking about grand scale things like that. Little things -- the construction next door has been negligent and constantly wreaking havoc on neighbors, the environment, etc. Nobody other than me complains. Nobody files complaints. Nobody cares. Police don't care. Americans are brainwashed into thinking complainers are losers/weak and we all just have to "suck it up" and deal with it.
- ulfw 12y ago
  Because Americans foolishly still believe that 'one day they can make it too'. How else could one explain why millions vote for 'lower taxes for the rich' if they are quite poor themselves?!
  - cratermoon 12y ago
    "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires" -- John Steinbeck
    - XJOKOLAT 12y ago
      Just brilliant. Thanks.
paulhauggis 12y ago
Which is not a good thing. What if the community decided to "shun" someone for being gay? or having a different political opinion?
- spiritplumber 12y ago
  That also has historically happened. It is a problem.
yummyfajitas 12y ago
You know, where I am right now (India), if someone like this decided to antagonize their whole neighborhood by allowing Africans to rent their room (particularly African bachelors), they'd end up having to leave. Passive aggressive mob justice doesn't sound so hot when the victims are members of our tribe, does it? (Background for westerners: Indians don't really like Africans much, particularly in the abstract. I have no idea why. Various non-Nigerian Africans blame it on the fact that Nigerians are all criminals and give Africans a bad name.)
- Mikeb85 12y ago
  > Background for westerners: Indians don't really like Africans much, particularly in the abstract. I have no idea why. It's because quite a few Indians are super racist. Especially against anyone (even other Indians) that are dark-skinned. It's no surprise that bleaching cream is incredibly popular in India, and that all the Bollywood actors are incredibly fair-skinned. Hell, usually their music video dancers, cheerleaders at IPL games, etc..., are all just white people. Historically the higher castes also consisted of fair-skinned Indians. Doesn't surprise me that Indians would object to 'questionable' (ie. African or Black) neighbours...
  - yummyfajitas 12y ago
    I don't think it has much to do with fairness. Africa has fair&lovely too. But from what I hear they love black people. (Never visited myself.) It's the particular distaste for Africans that I don't understand. All foreigners face a degree of racism, but Africans seem to get it the worst. Women tend to be the most racist, morality police and spurned vixen depending on the situation. If an African woman wears shorts in her housing society it's a danger to good morals. And if an Indian woman tries to pick me up but I don't feel like dumping my (Mozambican) girlfriend right there, somehow the black girl is the problem.

w1ntermute 12y ago

> It's no fun to be unable to buy groceries or gas. He can just use Instacart, and he probably drives a Tesla.

bueno 12y ago

Social justice like this is great. But If you have a 35 million dollar estate - the likelihood that he buys groceries or gas himself is slim to none.

matthewmcg 12y ago

That's one of the dangers of high economic inequality. There is now a class of people who are essentially insulated from the social consequences of their actions.

FireBeyond 12y ago
Look at Geffen's "garage" - http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/25/4554132/david-geffens-beach-is-yours-crash-malibus-secret-oceanside-hotspots http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/25/4554132/david-geffens-beac... It's not a garage. He's had the curb shaped like it's a driveway, and painted like it is, but it's not. Everyone, including the city know it's not. But try and park there and you'll be fined like it is. Towed like it is.
- charlesdm 12y ago
  Hah. While the fake garage he set up is a clear loss for the public, it is actually quite ingenious.

xtrumanx 12y ago

No fun for the hired help who need to buy the groceries or gas perhaps. I doubt a billionaire would notice or care if their neighbours don't like them.

spiritplumber 12y ago
That's actually something I noticed when I moved here, people are a lot less likely to know their neighbors (even if they have fewer neighbors than I'm used to). I bought a condo in San Rafael, and when I did a round to introduce myself to my neighbors, I had TWO people ask me if I was a sex offender! That made me wonder what kind of crazy place I had ended up in! Then someone explains to me that sex offenders have to do that by law, and just about nobody else does that. At least nobody yelled at me for doing deliveries by unmanned rover. Then I left for India for work for a couple of months, and when I came back, someone was living in my place... Americans are very interesting :)

adamwong246 12y ago

He's a billionaire. I don't think he'll have a hard time finding someone so sell him food.

cylinder 12y ago

I've found Americans pretty apathetic about injustice like this. They just think there's nothing they can do, nobody raises a fuss... currently dealing with this on the opposite coast...

r00fus 12y ago
Well when many effective firebrands like MLK, RFK, MalcomX and the like keep getting assassinated, you get a population that knows it shouldn't get uppity.
- cylinder 12y ago
  Not even talking about grand scale things like that. Little things -- the construction next door has been negligent and constantly wreaking havoc on neighbors, the environment, etc. Nobody other than me complains. Nobody files complaints. Nobody cares. Police don't care. Americans are brainwashed into thinking complainers are losers/weak and we all just have to "suck it up" and deal with it.
ulfw 12y ago
Because Americans foolishly still believe that 'one day they can make it too'. How else could one explain why millions vote for 'lower taxes for the rich' if they are quite poor themselves?!
- cratermoon 12y ago
  "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires" -- John Steinbeck
  - XJOKOLAT 12y ago
    Just brilliant. Thanks.

paulhauggis 12y ago

Which is not a good thing. What if the community decided to "shun" someone for being gay? or having a different political opinion?

spiritplumber 12y ago
That also has historically happened. It is a problem.

yummyfajitas 12y ago

You know, where I am right now (India), if someone like this decided to antagonize their whole neighborhood by allowing Africans to rent their room (particularly African bachelors), they'd end up having to leave. Passive aggressive mob justice doesn't sound so hot when the victims are members of our tribe, does it? (Background for westerners: Indians don't really like Africans much, particularly in the abstract. I have no idea why. Various non-Nigerian Africans blame it on the fact that Nigerians are all criminals and give Africans a bad name.)

Mikeb85 12y ago
> Background for westerners: Indians don't really like Africans much, particularly in the abstract. I have no idea why. It's because quite a few Indians are super racist. Especially against anyone (even other Indians) that are dark-skinned. It's no surprise that bleaching cream is incredibly popular in India, and that all the Bollywood actors are incredibly fair-skinned. Hell, usually their music video dancers, cheerleaders at IPL games, etc..., are all just white people. Historically the higher castes also consisted of fair-skinned Indians. Doesn't surprise me that Indians would object to 'questionable' (ie. African or Black) neighbours...
- yummyfajitas 12y ago
  I don't think it has much to do with fairness. Africa has fair&lovely too. But from what I hear they love black people. (Never visited myself.) It's the particular distaste for Africans that I don't understand. All foreigners face a degree of racism, but Africans seem to get it the worst. Women tend to be the most racist, morality police and spurned vixen depending on the situation. If an African woman wears shorts in her housing society it's a danger to good morals. And if an Indian woman tries to pick me up but I don't feel like dumping my (Mozambican) girlfriend right there, somehow the black girl is the problem.